3 Uses of Present Tense in Spanish (for Past and Future)

How to use the Present Tense in Spanish in past and future contexts.

Normally, we use the Present Tense to express ourselves in the present time, and to talk about things that usually happens in our present lives…

For example:

- Me gusta comer sano

- I like to eat healthy

—

- Cada mañana, me despierto a las 7:00, voy al gimnasio por 1 hora…

- Every morning, I wake up at 7:00, go to the gym for 1 hour…

But…, the Present Tense in Spanish can be also used in both PAST and FUTURE contexts…, and this is 100% grammatically correct. Yes! It’s true…, we have specific tenses for that to, but using the Present in these contexts makes each phrase sound more “alive” and “real” respectively 🙂

Let’s see how it works!

1. HISTORIC PRESENT

It’s mostly used to describe past events with the intention of make them sound more “alive”:

• Hace mucho tiempo, en una antigua ciudad del viejo Egipto, un Faraón SE ENCUENTRA cara a cara con un escriba y LE DICE…, blablabla…

• Once upon a time, in an ancient city of old Egypt, a Pharaoh MEETS face to face with a scribe and SAYS..., blablabla...

2. FUTURE PRESENT

It’s mostly used to describe future plans with the intention of make them sound more “real”. it’s like making that “not-completely-real future thing” a reality, because already in the present…, at least in our mind:

• En los próximos 12 meses, yo TERMINO este proyecto, estoy muy seguro de esto.

• In the next 12 months, I FINISH this project, I am pretty sure of this.

In case you wanted some extra guidance on how to study effectively, you can find the answer here, in our complete guide to learning Spanish online.

Qué tengas un día maravilloso!

Claudio